28/03/2022
Will Smith’s slap of Chris Rock live on the Oscars stage was a truly upsetting moment. To see one of the true greats suddenly lose his mind over a joke at his wife’s expense and decide to violently attack Rock was shocking, frightening and depressing.
Some have been supporting him by saying that he was sticking up for his wife, who was in that minute silenced and humiliated…and granted it was a low joke, targeting her alopecia. But to suggest Smith was justified in his actions doesn’t send a message of support to sufferers of alopecia but simply supports the ‘necessity’ of violence. If violence is something a MAN should do if his wife is disrespected in public, then what message does that send? There’s not a big leap from ‘you are disrespecting my wife’ to ‘you are disrespecting ME’ and that is of course the cause of so much male violence, against both men and women.
This was clearly Smith acting out a really damaging idea of what a man does to solve upset: he straightens out the person who caused it.
Will Smith’s a hero, and what influence will this now have in playgrounds and bars and in homes?
If he wants to show he’s a man, the most manly thing he could do now is to apologise to Chris Rock and go into treatment. To admit his wrong-doing and seek to change. If nothing happens, and indeed if he is held up as a great example in some quarters, well, how can anyone then lament violence amongst boys on the streets, for one thing? Aren’t they just defending the honour of their girlfriends, their mothers, their friends, themselves?
Even he was traumatised by his actions. There was no satisfaction for him. In tears in the aftermath he had clearly cracked under whatever pressure he’s under. He needs help.
What else could he have done? Well, how about sat in his seat, and waited for a chance to highlight alopecia and complain about Chris Rock when he had a chance later. And in fact, less than an hour later, he would have had that perfect chance with his Oscar win…instead we were left with a moment more indicative of the messed-up world we live in: the man who had violently slapped down another man, was given a standing ovation.
